Carton opening tool with guide plate spacing cutting blade from one face of carton



May 25, 1965 A. J. LURIE 3,184,843

CARTON OPENING TOOL WITH GUIDE PLATE SPAGING Filed Nov. 20, 1965 CUTTING BLADE FROM ONE FACE OF CARTON 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M y 1965 A. J. LURIE CARTON OPENING TOOL WITH GUIDE PLATE SPACING CUTTING BLADE FROM ONE FACE OF CARTON Flled Nov 20 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,184,843 CARTUN QEENENG TGOL WITH GUIDE PLATE SPACTNG CUTTING BLADE FROM GNE FAQE 0F CARTGN August .1. Lurie, 7M5 35th St., Berwyn, iii. Filed Nov. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 324,974 1 Claim. (Cl. 36-2) The present invention relates to a new and improved carton opening device or tool adapted to open a heavy paperboard carton in such manner as to form a merchandise display tray from the top or bottom portions or both of the carton.

This invention constitutes an improvement over similar devices and tools of my prior Patents Nos. 2,128,151, dated August 23, 1938, 2,187,590, dated January 16, 1940, and 2,978,807, dated April 11, 1961, and of my copending application Serial No. 242,033, filed November 19, 1962.

A principal object of this invention is to provide a carton opening tool having a cutter blade held between two mating handle portions with one or more offset guide plates which are adapted to ride against and along the top or bottom of the carton to space the cutter blade from the top or bottom to cut a tray of predetermined depth from the top or bottom of the carton for the display of merchandise in self-service stores, for example.

More particularly the objects of this invention contemplate the provision of a carton opening tool having a two part handle with the handle parts bulged at one end to form a grip and with the opposite and forward ends of the handle parts offset from the grip and shaped into male and female portions to define a blade receiving passage therebetween when the handle halves are aligned, a cutter blade in the blade-receiving passage with two adjacent corners of the blade projecting to cutting positions, the handle halves at their forward ends being formed and provided with upstanding flanges adjacent the projecting blade corners to ride against the face of the carton being opened, a guide having a locking portion formed complementally to the forward male handle portion, a guiding plate parallel to the cutting blade and projecting across and beyond the handle ends at the face thereof opposite to the forward male portion handle end in the direction of the projecting blade corner adjacent thereto, and a connecting portion along the side of the forward handle ends opposite from the projecting guiding plate, a clamping stud passing through aligned apertures in the cutting blade, the forward handle ends, and the locking portion of the guide to hold the tool parts in adjusted position, wherein the upstanding flanges on the male portion handle end have their inner ends spaced to define a slot therebetween, and the locking portion on the guide is formed with a projection which is engaged in the slot when the guide is in guiding position.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cutting tool or de vice of the present invention showing the guides in position for cutting a deep tray;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the forward end of the tool with the cutting blade retracted;

FIG. 3 is a perspective View similar to that of FIG. 1 with the cutting tool turned over to show the guide position for cutting a shallow tray;

FIG. 4 is a plan view, partially broken away, of the tool from the under side of the tool as viewed in FIG. 3 showing both guides in guiding position;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the tool showing the various elements thereof;

FIG. 6 is a front end view of the tool showing the relationship of the carton and the guides for cutting a deep tray;

FIG. 7 is a front end view of the tool showing the relationship of the carton and the guide for cutting a shallow tray; and

FIG. 8 is a transverse cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 88 of FIG. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, the reference character 10 indicates the carton opening device or tool in its entirety, and it comprises a handle 12 having a grip portion 14 and a forward and blade securing portion 16 ofiset to one face of the tool from the grip 14, a blade 18, a securing stud 20, thumb nut 22 and washers 24, the latter three elements clamping the blade 18 in operative position as well as other elements presently to be described.

The handle 12 comprises a pair of complementally shaped halves 26 and 28 which are pivotally interconnected at their rear ends by a hollow rivet 30. At the forward end 16 of the handle, the ends are alternately provided with male 32 and female 34 portions laterally offset from the plane of the forward ends to define a blade receiving passage or recess 36 therebetween (FIG. 8). The blade 18 is confined in this recess and has a pair of corners projecting beyond the forward end 16 of the handle as shown most clearly in FIGS. 1 and 4. The offset male, female portions 32, 34 provide shoulders to prevent the blade 18 from shifting in the recess during the cutting operation and insure with the stud 20 secure locking of the blade in its adjusted position.

The blade 18 is provided with a square aperture 38 at its center and the forward portions of the handle halves 26 and 28 are provided with elongate apertures 40 and 42, respectively. The stud 20 is formed with a square portion 44 which engages in the slots 40 and 42 and the square aperture 38 of the blade 18 so that the blade can be moved from fully projecting position shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 to the withdrawn position shown in FIG. 2. FIGS. 1 and 2 show the different positions of the stud 20 in the handle 12 for the different blade positions. The extent of blade projection can be adjusted to the thickness of the paperboard of the carton to limit the depth of cut and minimize the likelihood of damage to the carton contents.

At the tips of its forward end the upper handle half 26 is formed with a pair of curved guiding flanges or runners 46 and 48, and similarly the bottom half 28 is formed with a pair of guiding flanges or runners 5t) and 52 with the flanges 46 and 5t and 48 and 52 extending oppositely from each other to form a guiding surface which is adapted to slide on the outer face of the carton C during the cutting operation. The flanges 46, 48, Si) and 52 are curved and at their adjacent ends are slightly spaced to define slots 54, the purpose of which will be apparent hereafter.

The tool 10 includes a pair of tray depth defining guides 56 and 58. The guide 56 is intended for the cutting of deep trays, and the guide 58 is intended for the cutting of shallow trays.

The guide 56 has a locking portion 60, a guiding plate 62 and an intermediate interconnecting portion 64 perpendicular to the plate 62 and locking portion 60 and which determines the depth of the tray to be formed from the carton top or bottom. The locking portion 6% and guiding plate 62 are generally parallel to each other and are so arranged that when the guide 56 is assembled into the tool, the guiding plate 62 is parallel to the cutting blade 18 as seen best, for example, in FIGS. 6 and 7. The locking portion 60 is shaped complementally to the male portion 32 of the top handle half 26 and at its rear has a side projection 66 arranged to engage the side edges of the male and female portions 32 and 3 respectively and to cooperate with the interconnecting portion 64' which closely embraces these same portions on the on posite side of the tool to center the guide on the forward portion 16 of the handle 12 as seen most clearly in FIGS. 4 and 8. The forward end of the locking portion 60 is formed with a projection 63 which engages in the slot 54 between the guiding flanges 46 and 48, thus pre cisely positioning the guide 56 on the tool halves for proper location of the guiding plate 62. The locking portion 60 is formed with an elongated aperture 70 which coincides with the apertures 4t) and 42 in the handle halves 26 and 28 to accommodate the stud 2t) and its forward and backward motion to position the blade in its adjusted projected and withdrawn positions.

The guiding plate 62 is quite large in area and extends at an angle of about 45 across the bottom of the tool when held in the positions of FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 6 to project on the opposite side from the interconnecting portion 641 so that itsupper surface can engage the face of the box or carton as shown in FIG. 6. That corner of the blade 18 which projects from between the flanges 46 and 50 extends in the same direction as the plate 62 and is thus in a position to sever the carton C along a line spaced a distance, for example, 1 inch from the carton bottom to define a relatively deep tray. 7

The shallow tray guide 58 has a locking portion 72, a guiding plate 74 and an intermediate interconnecting portion 76. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the guiding plate 74 projects forwardly and outwardly in a direction substantially at right angle to that of the guiding plate .62 and in the same direction as the second projecting corner of the blade IS-so that when both guides 56 and 53 are in guiding position, as is the case with the tool assembled as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the plates 74 and 62 can.

be used alternatively to form shallow and deep trays and are so positioned as not to interfere with the cutting of the carton side from either projecting corner of the cutting blade 18.

The locking portion 72 has a projection 78 which fits in the slot 54 between the guiding flanges 46 and 48 properly to position the guiding plate 74 for a shallow tray cutting operation. It should also be noted that the interconnecting portion 76 is curved to fit against the inner face of the guiding flange 48,'as seen most clearly in FIG. 4, and the edge 80 is similarly complementally shaped to fit against the inner face of the guide flange 46.-

The locking portion 72 of the guide 78 is formed with an elongated aperture 82 to accommodate sliding the stud 20 to project or withdraw the blade 18.

At its end opposite the guiding plate 74 the locking plates 72 .isformed with a rounded end 84 which permits reversal of the locking portion by being seated against the inner surfaces of the flanges 46' and 48, as shown in ,FIGS. 1 and 2. The reversal of the guide 58 from for the cutting of substantially deep trays. However,

when the tool is turnedover andthe plate 74 engaged with the face of the top or bottom of the. carton, the blade 18 is spaced much closer to the top or bottom face, and therefore a shallow tray, for example, inch in depth, is formed.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the objectives which were claimed for this invention'at the outset of the specificationare fully obtained by the structure disclosed.

While a preferred embodiment of the carton cutting and tray forming tool constituting this invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that numerous modifications and variations thereof may be made therein without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. It is therefore desired, by the following claim, to includewithin the scope of the invention all such variations and modifications by which substantially the results of this invention may be obtained through the use of substantially the same or equivalent means.

What I claim as new-and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A tool for opening a heavy paperboard carton and simultaneously forming a merchandise display tray'from a portion of the carton, comprising in combination, a cutting blade, a handle to carry said blade, said handle being formed of complementally shaped halves with each of said halves having a bulged portion at one end to form a grip, the opposite and forward ends of the halves being offset from said grip and being shaped into male and female portions to define a blade receiving passage...

therebetween when said halves are aligned from which passagetwo adjacent corners of the blade project, said halves at said forward end being provided with upstanding flanges adjacent said projecting blade corners adapted to ride against the face of the carton being opened, a guide having a locking portion formed complementally to said forwardmale portion handle end, a guiding plate parallel to said cutting blade and projecting across and well beyond said forward handle ends at the face thereof opposite' to that of said forward male portion handle end in the direction of one of saidprojecting blade corners, and a connecting portion along the side'of said forward handle ends opposite from said projecting guiding plate, aligned apertures in said cutting blade,v said forward handle ends and said locking portions of said guide, and a clamping stud passing through said apertures to hold said tool parts in adjusted position, wherein said upstanding flanges on said male portion handle'end have their inner ends spaced to define a slot therebetween, and said locking portion on said guide is formed. with a projection which is engaged in said slot when said guide is in guiding position.

References Qited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,527,220 2/25; Pyle 30-2 2,076,007 4/37 "Smith 30 2 2,187,590 1/40 Lurie 30 2 2,505,161 4/50 Van Fleet 30 2 2,940,170 6/60 "Matter ,50 2 2,978,807 4/61 Lurie 30, 2

WILLIAMj FELDMAN, P rin zary Examiner. MICHAEL; BALAS, Examiner. 

